I followed her gaze to see a reflection in the window of the bus depot. It was huge, and seemed to writhe and change shape as it moved. Alexius started barking.

  “Not something we want to stick around to see,” I muttered. “Everybody grab onto me. I’m going to try to make a portal to another area of the dream world.”

  Within seconds everyone gripped my arms and shoulders, and Dorrie leaned down and curled her fingers around Alexius’ collar with her free hand. I had only been to a few different areas within the dream world, and only one I could picture clearly. I closed my eyes and we all thrust upward. After a few dizzying seconds of movement, we landed hard in a puddle of goo. Gre-at. Just what we needed.

  I struggled to stand in the sparkly black puddle, but it was incredibly slippery. Everyone else was stuck too. We all fumbled about, getting the goo all over our hands and clothing.

  Jason made it out first, then offered me a gooey hand. I grasped it hard to overcome the slipperiness, making traction difficult. I slowly made my way to the puddle’s edge and onto dry land. Releasing Jason’s hand, I took in our surroundings. The realm resembled something straight out of a Dracula movie. Scraggly black trees reached up toward an ominous dark sky, complete with an eerie full moon. A shiver ran up my spine, reminding me of my recent experience in this very realm. I’d died there, shortly before being brought back to life.

  The others made it out of the puddle with audible sighs of relief. Then Alexius started whining.

  “What is it?” I asked rhetorically.

  He seemed to be watching something in the distance. His whine turned into a growl.

  “I see smoke,” Lela commented.

  I followed her gaze. She was right. It was hard to see at first, but against the full moon, the smoke became illuminated. It was odd, but didn’t necessarily mean anything. A few demons and other denizens lived in the dream world, brought there ages ago through portals. Travel to the dream realm used to be more frequent, back in the days when drivers like Dorrie were created, hundreds of years prior.

  My mind jumped to the crazy old woman demon I’d encountered on my first trip to the dream realm. She’d tried to kill me, thinking I was my grandmother, and Dorrie had saved me. The smoke wasn’t coming from the direction of her mansion though, and I wasn’t even sure if she was still alive. Dorrie had thrown her through a wall, and we hadn’t stuck around to see if it killed her.

  I looked down at Alexius. He’d stopped barking, but was still staring in the direction of the smoke.

  “Let’s check it out,” I sighed. “Alexius seems to think there’s something interesting about this smoke.”

  “Well he is your spirit guide,” Dorrie reminded me. “He’s here to, you know, guide you.”

  “Hmph,” I replied, thinking it more likely that Alexius was just curious.

  Everyone fell into step around me as we made our way toward the smoke. I wracked my brain for possible ways to find the others. Ghosts would have been useful, but only Sam and Chase could control them. I couldn’t see any way for me to see into the human or demon worlds while stuck in the dream realm.

  Smaller puddles of ooze squelched beneath our shoes as we walked. They were more sparse in some areas of the realm, but where we were, they were nearly impossible to avoid.

  We slowed down as we neared the smoke. There was a burned building not far off. It looked like it had once been a grand mansion, but now had smoldered down to rubble.

  Alexius darted forward before I could stop him.

  Feeling flustered and not wanting to call out his name to alert any possible inhabitants in the realm, I ran after him, but Jason and Lela soon outpaced me.

  I watched as they ran toward the building. Dorrie probably could have outpaced me too, but remained by my side. I briefly considered traveling ahead, but we were almost there. Jason and Lela reached the ruined building, and stopped to look around. No one jumped out and attacked them.

  Huffing and puffing, I arrived a moment later.

  Alexius was sniffing all around the ruined building, carefully avoiding the piles of debris still smoking with heat. He paused near a ruined wall and let out a low growl.

  I jogged to his side as the others searched about.

  “What is it?” I asked, reaching the dog’s side.

  He continued to growl at the crumbling wall as a wispy shape formed. It seemed like it was made of vapor or smoke, but it pulled itself out of the wall and wafted toward me.

  Alexius’ fur bristled on his back as I stared at the small wisp. It was a ghost.

  My first thought was Chase or Sam. Were they somehow trying to contact me? But why had the ghost been left in the burning rubble. Most the time I couldn’t even see ghosts, unless they were ones Sam had summoned. His tended to be somewhat more corporeal.

  The ghost floated into the air until it was at eye level with me, then darted past.

  Alexius let out a surprised yip, then darted after it, barking as he ran.

  “Follow them!” I shouted, pointing in the direction of the dog and the ghost. The others looked up from where they’d been searching, then quickly reacted, taking off in the direction Alexius had gone. I watched the dog in the distance, picked a point where I thought he’d end up, then traveled there. He and the ghost darted past me, and I repeated the process, hopping along across the realm as the others remained hot on our heels.

  Eventually we reached the barrier that signified the end of the current realm. It spanned upward and in either direction as far as the eye could see, and looked a bit like green jello, except I couldn’t see anything on the other side. The ghost and Alexius both pressed through it without hesitation.

  With a frustrated growl, I traveled right to the barrier then dove through it, just as everyone else reached the barrier behind me. I came out on the other side into a completely different environment. Something like a jungle.

  Tall palm trees and other tropical plants lined a narrow road. The sun was hot on my face. Sweat beaded on my forehead and dripped down my temples. I searched around frantically for Alexius as everyone came up behind me.

  “Got his scent,” Lela stated, then ran off through the foliage.

  We all followed her, though everyone soon outpaced me. I wanted to travel ahead, but I couldn’t see far enough through the trees. The view would only allow me to travel in ten foot increments, so it was just as fast for me to run.

  I barreled through the trees, following the sound of everyone running ahead of me, slowly leaving me behind. It was that distance that startled me when I nearly collided with Jason’s back.

  Recovering, I started to speak, but he whipped around and clamped a hand over my mouth. He lifted his free hand in a shushing gesture, then pointed.

  I followed his gaze as he removed his hand from my mouth. Around twenty feet away, the treeline ended at an expansive beach. The ocean lapped at the distant shore. Lela and Dorrie stood with Alexius, surrounded by demons. At least, I assumed they were demons since we were all in the dream realm.

  The men surrounding Lela and Dorrie wore black tactical clothing that bespoke the military, but I didn’t recognize any of them. Jason and I were hidden by a large tropical plant, though if one of them looked hard enough, they’d spot us. As we watched, the men motioned toward a distant building I hadn’t noticed before, mostly hidden within the trees further in the direction we had previously been running. The men motioned for Lela and Dorrie to start walking, and they obeyed. They had no choice, as they were sorely outnumbered.

  Alexius had other ideas. Before any of the men could grab him, he fled, darting away into the trees far to the left of Jason and me.

  I poised myself to rush forward and attack, but Jason suddenly crouched, grabbing my arm to drag me down beside him. I peeked around the base of the large plant, a pointy leaf pressing into my cheek, to see a few of the men scanning the foliage in our direction. I quickly ducked back behind the plant before any of them saw me.

  We remained in our silent crouch for over a minute, then the men started talking again, though they were too far off for me to make out their hushed words. I peeked around the tree just in time to see them herding Lela and Dorrie toward the distant building.

  Jason held a finger to his lips again, then tugged on my hand, slowly drawing me back with him.

  I gave him a what are you doing? look, but didn’t speak. I put my trust in the idea that whatever plan he’d thought up was better for Dorrie and Lela than me charging in to rescue them.

  We continued creeping back until we were well hidden from sight, then we stood and ran a little further. Eventually Jason tugged on my arm to stop me.

  “Those are the same people who took Lucy and everyone else,” he whispered, scanning the trees around us.

  I looked over my shoulder warily, worrying there might be hidden sentries scattered about. “They really can make portals then. That’s the only way they could be here.”

  Jason nodded, then suddenly grabbed my arm and threw me to the ground on my stomach, plastering his body over mine. A second later I heard what had alerted him. Something was crashing toward us through the underbrush.

  Alexius suddenly burst through the greenery and pounced on us. I let out a huge sigh of relief and pulled the dog into a hug as Jason and I sat up. With Alexius in my lap, I glanced over my shoulder in the direction of the building.

  “We have to find a way to get in there,” I whispered.

  Jason nodded. “I agree, although it would be nice if we had some back up.”

  I clutched Alexius to me. “All of our back up is in that building. If we can get inside maybe we can free everyone, and we’ll be able to overpower the kidnappers.”

  Jason eyed me somberly.

  “What?” I asked, wondering why we were still sitting tight when we should have been attacking.

  He cringed. “I hope everyone is in there too, but there’s a very real possibility they might be . . . gone. Just because those men took Lela and Dorrie alive, doesn’t mean the others have remained in that state.”

  I let out a long breath, trying to steady the nervous pattering of my heart. “Sam or Chase left that ghost in the previous realm for us to find,” I explained. “It led us right here, so they were at least still alive when they arrived in the dream world.”

  Jason nodded. “I hope you’re right.”

  Alexius let out a quiet growl. I thought maybe the ghost had returned, then I heard what had set him off. Someone else was walking through the dense jungle, close enough that we could hear their footsteps.

  I patted Alexius’ head, hoping it would soothe him. I wasn’t sure if it worked, but he suddenly fell silent, then cocked his head as the footsteps neared.

  Jason disappeared in the blink of an eye. Seconds later there was a feminine scream, then the sound of a struggle.

  I pushed Alexius off my lap and scrambled to my feet in a crouch, then slowly approached the sounds of struggle. My progress was halted as Jason reappeared with a brunette woman trapped in his grasp. He stood behind her, holding her awkwardly by her elbows so that her hands stuck out away from her body. He had good reason for holding her that way, since she could slice someone open with invisible blades in the blink of an eye. I should know. I’d found out the hard way.

  She glared as soon as she noticed me.

  I glared right back. “You just couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you?” I asked.

  Nix spat at my feet. “Not while my cousin continued on living the good life, not caring that she’d trapped me in the dream realm.”

  I wasn’t surprised by her words. In fact, I’d started suspecting things as soon as I’d found out I had demon relatives out for my blood. “So you’re related to Art then, huh?”

  She continued to glare at me. “He’s my father.”

  I almost felt bad that my first thought was I’m glad she lost her father like I lost mine. Emphasis on the almost. I smiled coldly, and her glare faltered. Nix might be family, but she had no idea who she was dealing with.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “You’re too late,” Nix taunted, still held immobile in Jason’s grasp. “Your time right now would be better spent hiding from the demon council.” She wore her usual uniform of torn jeans and a ratty teeshirt. If it weren’t for the way her eyes nervously flicked around, she might look tough. As it was, she just looked like a scared teenager.

  “Are you aware that your father is dead?” I asked, trying to catch her off guard.

  Her brown eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed in suspicion. “You’re lying, and even if you weren’t, I wouldn’t care. I barely know my father.”

  I shrugged. “If you say so. Where are my friends? Why were they brought here?”

  “Did you not hear what I said about the demon council?” she asked, attempting to cock her hip but failing since Jason held her aloft to the point where her feet weren’t entirely on the ground. “Aren’t you curious about why they’re after you, and about me being your cousin?”

  I chuckled, feigning confidence. “You’re a little late if you hoped for it to be a surprise. I already know about the plan to make me a victim of the council. I just don’t understand why your friends would need so many werewolves to do that.”

  “They were abducted as part of the set up,” she explained. She tried to glare over her shoulder at Jason, but he gave her a shake and she faced me again. “I don’t know what they plan to do with them now, and I don’t care. They’ve already fulfilled what they promised me.”

  I crossed my arms impatiently. “Who is this they?”

  She smiled and shook her head. “I’ve said all I have to say.”

  I shrugged like it didn’t matter. “Well then, you’re of no further use to me, so I fear I must dispose of you.”

  Her eyes widened.

  I made a fireball in my hand, then glanced past Nix to Jason. “Hold her still, would you? I wouldn’t want to miss.”

  She started struggling, but to no avail. A relatively weak demon was no match for a vampire who was over one hundred years old. Not unless she managed to get her hands free.

  “W-wait,” she stammered. “I can tell you more.”

  I extinguished the fireball and motioned for her to continue.

  “The people who have your friends call themselves The Association. They’re all demons who were outcast from the city, either for crimes, or simply because they weren’t powerful enough to survive amongst the greater demons. They’ve been gathering forces for a while. That’s how we found them.”

  “And what do they want all of the werewolves for?”

  She shrugged. “They were only supposed to take a few of the ones close to you, to make it look like it was your fault. Then they just kept taking them. I went with a few times, but lately they’ve just been leaving me here. I’ve been exploring the dream realms trying to find another way back.”

  I raised an eyebrow at her. “So I did see you at the RV park fire?”

  She snorted. “I started it.”

  “Hmph,” I replied, wondering what I should do next. I had a fleeting thought to report The Association to the demon council, but I couldn’t risk it. If they decided to arrest me, I wouldn’t be able to help my friends.

  I stared at Nix, wondering what I should do with her now, then had a sudden idea. She couldn’t travel, so if I put her somewhere else, it would take her awhile to get back to us. I took a step toward her.

  She flinched and shut her eyes, the tough girl act completely gone. I really should have killed her for all the trouble she’d put me through, but I just couldn’t bring myself to hate her. She’d grown up with little, and the world and our family had made her who she was. Instead of anger, I felt pity.

  I grabbed her shoulder, careful to avoid her hands, then nodded to Jason.

  Deducing what I planned to do, he let go as Nix and I became encased in red smoke. We landed near the bus depot. Before Nix could react, I hopped out of reach, then pictured the place where I’d left Jason. I caught a single glimpse of Nix’s outraged expression, then I was standing back in the quiet jungle.

  Alexius wagged his tail as soon as he saw me.

  “Where’d you leave her?” Jason asked curiously.

  “Bus depot,” I explained. “It’s several planes away from the one with the black goo. It will take her days to walk back here.”

  Jason nodded, seemingly satisfied with my explanation. “I’ll go scout out the building,” he explained. “See if I can find an unguarded entrance.”

  I nodded, and just like that, he was gone. Suddenly not knowing what to do with myself, I crouched down to conceal myself fully in the vegetation and placed a hand on Alexius. He let out a low growl that startled me, until I realized what he was looking at. The little ghost had returned.

  Ignoring Alexius, it floated toward me, then hovered a few feet from my face, as if beckoning me.

  “I can’t follow you right now,” I whispered, not knowing if it could understand me. Unlike my grandmother’s ghost, this one was likely just composed of residual energy. The soul and personality of who it had been were long since gone.

  It continued to hover, then a voice sounded in my ear, “Xoe?”

  I jumped so high that I nearly knocked Alexius over. I whipped my gaze around to see if someone had approached me, but it was just me, Alexius, and the ghost.

  “Xoe, are you there?” the voice said again, and I realized I recognized it. Chase was somehow speaking to me, but his voice sounded distorted and far away.

  “Yes?” I whispered hesitantly.

  The ghost bobbed in the air, as if nodding. “That must mean you’re in the dream realm,” Chase’s oddly contorted voice said. “I’m in some sort of holding cell by myself. I’ve been able to communicate with Sam, but none of the others have responded to me. Maybe only demons can interact with my ghosts.”

  I kept my gaze on the ghost in front of me, amazed with how Chase was using it. “The kidnappers took Dorrie and Lela,” I explained. “Jason is here with me. He’s looking for a way in.”

  “Just the two of you?” Chase gasped. “You need to go and get backup. It’s been difficult to discern from within my cell, but there have to be at least twenty demons in here, and a few vampires too.”

 

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